Feeding mechanism for printing-presses.



S. M. LANGSTON.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1911.

1,107,97 1. Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR c xfiwm m a W Br :2: @M W ATTORNEYS THE AURRIS PETERS 60.. PHCTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D. c.

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Patented Aug. 18

G Ll INVENTOR ATTURIVEKS S. M. LANGSTON.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1011.

SAMUEL M. LANGSTON, 0F CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 29, 1911.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

Serial No. 636,094.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. LANGSTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, county of Camden, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Printing-Presses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in mechanism for feeding blanks to printing presses and more particularly to mechanism for feeding blanks of such character that they may be supported in a column and the bottom blank caused to slide from beneath the column to the printing mechanism. My invention is especially designed for feeding boards cut to the proper shape to form the top, bottom or walls of a box or other container. By the term board I mean either a wooden board, a cellular board formed from corrugated paper or a fiber board formed of several plies of paper.

The one important feature of my invention is the formation of the slide which engages with the bottom blank or board and advances the latter from beneath the column to two feeding rollers which draw it from beneath the column. This slide I provide with a plate portion movable back and forth beneath the column and continuously in en-' gagement with the bottom blank of the column. This slide at its rear edge has an upwardly extending flange or shoulder, which may engage with the rear edge of the bottom blank and compel the latter to advance. The slide with a portion above the support and always beneath the column, is particularly eflicient when the mechanism is used to feed thin fiber board formed of a very few plies of paper. The body portion of the slide holds a portion of the bottom blank above the support and moves with the blank so as to reducefriction between the bottom blank and the support. It slightly bends the lower blank so as to reduce friction between the latter and the second blank, and the upwardly extending shoulder or flange at the rear of the slide, being rigid with the portion beneath the blanks, has a more efi'ective engagement with the rear edge of the blank during the advancement of the latter.

Other important features of my invention will beset forth more fully hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the different views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a portion of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections on the lines 22 and 33 respectively of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is a trans verse section on the line H of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a face view of the gage bar looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 5 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

My improved feeding mechanism may be applied to various types of printing machines operating upon boards or other comparatively stifi blanks, and, therefore, I have not illustrated any of the details of the printing mechanism. The printing press has a suitable frame 10 carrying a table 11, serving as the support for the blanks to be fed to the printing mechanism. This table may have sidewalls 12 constituting between them a hopper for a column of blanks and these side walls may be adjustable toward and from each other to accommodate blanks of different widths. As shown, the main frame 10 has upwardly extending brackets 13, serving as guides for rods 14 secured to the side walls 12. By the operation of screws 15 the side walls may be moved toward or from each other. Adjacent the end of the table or support 11, I mount two rolls 16 and 17, the lower of which 16 has its upper surface in approximately the plane of the upper surface of the table, while the upper roll 17 is adjustable toward and from the lower roller, in accordance with the thickness of the blanks. Each roll has a series of annular gaskets or rings 18 of rubber or other suitable material, the gaskets or rings of one roll being opposed to the other so as-to form a resilient gripping engagement with the blanks. If desired these gaskets or rings may be of metal and present opposed edges for scoring the blanks. This is particularly desirable where the blanks are of corrugated paper and it is desired to fold them along predetermined lines'to form the box or other container. The scoring members will form weakened lines and will at the same time advance the blanks.

For preventing more than one blank at a time from passing to the feed rolls from the hopper, I provide adjustable stops.

shown, there is provided a transversely extending bar 19 intermediate the upper feed roller 17 and the end of the hopper, the said bar being substantially rectangular in cross section and supported at its ends. This bar carries vertical bars 20 constituting the stops, the connection between the vertical bars 20 and the horizontal bar 19 being such that the former may be adjusted laterally on the machine and may be adjusted vertically. Each bar or stop 20 preferably has a bracket or hanger 21 extending across the top and rear sides and a portion of the lower side of the bar 19, so as to permit the sliding of the bracket or hanger along the bar 19. A suitable set screw 22 serves to lock the hanger or bracket in position upon the bar 19.

Each bar or stop 20 extends vertically across one face of the bar 19 and is adjustably secured to its respective bracket or hanger by a suitable set screw 23. This form of stop is particularly advantageous in feeding relatively thin fiber boards. The latter are liable to be slightly warped so that a portion of the front edge may be at a slightly higher elevation than another portion. Furthermore, all of the blanks in the column will often be warped in exactly the same manner. By adjusting the stops lengthwise of the bar 19 to such position that they will come opposite to portions of the front edge of the blank which are not warped upwardly and by adjusting the stops vertically to permit the passage of these portions of the blanks, it is evident that if any other portion of the blank be warped upwardly, it may freely advance to the feed rollers without interference.

One of the most important features of my invention is the means for advancing the blanks from beneath the column. As shown, the table or support 11 is provided with a slot 24 intermediate its side edges and extending lengthwise thereof. Within this slot are two guides 25, each lying substantially flush with the upper surface of the support and having flanges to prevent their upward or downward movement. The two guides are connected by a rod 26 beneath the table and adjustable along this rod is a slide 27 which operates to advance the blanks. The slide has a plate portion 28 of such width that its forward portion is not withdrawn from beneath the column when the slide is at its rearward position, so that at least the front edge of the plate remains in engagement at all times with the bottommost blank of the column. The plate portion has an upwardly extending flange or shoulder 29 at its rear edge, which may be removable, and which is of a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the blanks being fed. This flange or shoulder may be readily changed whenever it is desired to feed blanks of a different thickness. The slide has a depending bracket 30 extending through the slot and the lower end of the bracket incloses the rod and is adapted to be rigidly secured thereto in any suitable manner, as, for instance, a set screw.

Suitable mechanism is provided for reciprocating the slide. As shown, I provide a rock lever 31 having one end connected to the rear guide 25 by a suitable link 32 and having the opposite end provided with a roller in engagement with a cam 33. The cam is preferably of such form that the rate of advancement of the slide will be the same as the speed of the surface travel of the feed rollers. Thus, even though the slide remains in engagement with the blank for some time after the feed rolls catch the blank, there will be no tendency of the blank to buckle. A spring may be provided for returning the slide if desired.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A feeding mechanism including a sup port for a column of blanks, a slide mounted for movement over said support and beneath said column, said slide having an upwardly projecting shoulder for engagement with the edge of the bottom blank for removing the latter from beneath the column, a rod beneath said support and spaced therefrom substantially parallel thereto, spaced guides secured to said rod and having sliding engagement with said support, adjustable connections between said slide and said rod and means connected to one end of said rod for reciprocating the latter and said slide.

2. A printing press having a printing roller, a support for a column of blanks to be printed, said support having a slot extending lengthwise thereof, a slide for engagement with the upper surface of said support and continually in engagement with the bottom blank of the column, said slide having an upwardly projecting shoulder for engagement with the edge of the bottom blank for removing the latter from beneath the column upon the reciprocation of the slide, spaced guides movable along said slot, a rod connecting said guides and spaced from said support, means for securing said slide to said rod and permitting of the adjustment of the former along the latter and means for reciprocating said rod.

3. A printing press having a printing roller, a support for a column of blanks to be printed, said support having a slot extending lengthwise thereof, a slide for engagement with the upper surface of said support and continually in engagement with the bottom blank of the column, said slide having an upwardly projecting shoulder for engagement with the edge of the bottom blank for removing the latter from beneath the column upon the reciprocation of the slide, guides movable along said slot, a rod connecting said guides, means for securing said slide to said rod and permitting of the adjustment of the former along the latter and means for reciprocating said rod, said means including a rock lever, a cam for rocking the said lever and link connections between said lever and said rod.

4. A feeding mechanism including a support for a column of blanks, a slide mounted for movement over said support and beneath said column, said slide having a shoulder for engagement with the edge of the copies of this patent may be obtained for the cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratentl, Washington, D. 0." 

